lesson 2 ( niv ) ord l g seems undesirable to you, then ... · 09.12.2018 · the god of...

1Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:03 PM October 4, 2018.

December 9

Lesson 2 (NIV)

LOVE AND SERVE GOD

DEVOTIONAL READING: Psalm 81

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Exodus 20:1–

11; Joshua 24

JOSHUA 24:1–3A, 13–15, 21–24

1 �en Joshua assembled all the

tribes of Israel at Shechem. He sum-

moned the elders, leaders, judges and

officials of Israel, and they presented

themselves before God.2 Joshua said to all the people, “�is

is what the LORD, the God of Israel,

says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, includ-

ing Terah the father of Abraham and

Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates

River and worshiped other gods. 3a But

I took your father Abraham from the

land beyond the Euphrates and led

him throughout Canaan and gave him

many descendants.’ ”

13 “ ‘So I gave you a land on which you

did not toil and cities you did not

build; and you live in them and eat

from vineyards and olive groves that

you did not plant.’14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him

with all faithfulness. �row away the

gods your ancestors worshiped beyond

the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and

serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the

LORD seems undesirable to you, then

choose for yourselves this day whom

you will serve, whether the gods your

ancestors served beyond the

Euphrates, or the gods of the

Amorites, in whose land you are liv-

ing. But as for me and my household,

we will serve the LORD.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No!

We will serve the LORD.”22 �en Joshua said, “You are wit-

nesses against yourselves that you

have chosen to serve the LORD.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they

replied.23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw

away the foreign gods that are among

you and yield your hearts to the LORD,

the God of Israel.”24 And the people said to Joshua, “We

will serve the LORD our God and obey

him.”

KEY VERSE

If serving the LORD seems undesirable to

you, then choose for yourselves this day

whom you will serve, whether the gods your

ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or

the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you

are living. But as for me and my household,

we will serve the LORD.—Joshua 24:15

Nickelson, R. L. (Ed.). (2018). The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019 (Vol. 25). Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing.


OUR LOVE FOR GOD

Unit I: God Is Worthy of Our Love

LESSONS 1–5

LESSON AIMS

A�er participating in this lesson, each

learner will be able to:

1. Summarize the portion of today’s

text regarding Joshua’s farewell chal-

lenge to the Israelites and their response.

2. Explain what rejecting false gods

means in the twenty-first century.

3. Identify a cultural “god” and make a

plan to resist its influence.

LESSON OUTLINE

Introduction

A. A Veteran Speaks

B. Lesson ContextI. Looking at the Past (JOSHUA 24:1–3a,

13)

A. Public Assembly of Tribes (v. 1)

B. God’s Blessings to Abraham

(vv. 2, 3a)

C. God’s Blessings to Israel (v. 13)

II. Living in the Present (JOSHUA 24:14,

15, 21–24)

A. Joshua’s Challenge (vv. 14, 15)

Idols of the Heart

B. Israel’s Choice (v. 21)

C. Choice Reaffirmed (vv. 22–24)

Picking and Choosing

Conclusion

A. Joshua and Jesus

B. Prayer

C. Aought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

Amalekites Am-uh-leh-kites or Uh-

mal-ih-kites.

Amorites Am-uh-rites.

Baal Bay-ul.

Balaam Bay-lum.

Balak Bay-lack.

Chaldeans Kal-dee-unz.

Euphrates You-fray-teez.

Moab Mo-ab.

Nahor Nay-hor.

Shechem Shee-kem or Shek-em.

Sinai Sigh-nye or Sigh-nay-eye.

syncretic sin-kre-tik.

Terah Tair-uh.

Ur Er.

Introduction

A. A Veteran Speaks

Many nations observe a day each year

to honor their military veterans. Such

days feature expressions of appreciation

to the men and women who have placed

themselves in harm’s way in defense of

the nation. Societies deem it important



that the next generation learn to

acknowledge and appreciate the sacri-

fices that veterans have made on their

behalf.

In today’s lesson, from the final chap-

ter of the book of Joshua, Joshua presents

to the nation of Israel what amounts to

his farewell address. By this time, Joshua

was an old man and a true “veteran”

whose career included a host of experi-

ences, serving first as Moses’ apprentice

and then leading the Israelites in the

conquest of the promised land. It was

important, before Joshua’s death, that the

next generation hear his testimony and

learn to appreciate the wisdom that he

had to offer God’s people.

B. Lesson Context

Joshua had seen it all. Ae first time

he is mentioned in the Bible is when

Moses commanded him to choose some

men to fight the Amalekites who had

aFacked Israel not long a�er the exodus

from Egypt (Exodus 17:8–13). Exodus 24:13

describes Joshua as Moses’ aide, a word

that could be considered the equivalent

of an assistant or an apprentice.

Joshua was with Moses when the two

came down from Mount Sinai a�er

Moses had received God’s laws wriFen on

tablets of stone by “the finger of

God” (Exodus 31:18). Aey found the

Israelites taking part in sinful, degrading

actions that sparked Moses’ anger

(32:15–20). Along with Caleb, Joshua was

one of the two spies who voiced confi-

dence that the Lord would lead the

Israelites into the promised land (Num-

bers 14:6–9). Tragically, their voices were

drowned out by the defiant unbelief of

the other 10 spies.

Given this background, it seems

inevitable that Joshua would be selected

as Moses’ successor to lead the nation

into the promised land and complete the

task Moses had begun. Deuteronomy

31:1–8 records Moses’ charge to Joshua to

assume the leadership of the people. Ae

final chapter of Deuteronomy tells us

that “Joshua son of Nun was filled with

the spirit of wisdom because Moses had

laid his hands on him. So the Israelites

listened to him and did what the Lord

had commanded Moses” (34:9).

Ae book of Joshua then chronicles

the conquest of Canaan under Joshua’s

leadership and the allotment of territory

to the various tribes. By the time of

today’s text, Joshua had become “a very

old man” (Joshua 23:1). It was in this con-

dition that he called an assembly.

I. Looking at the Past

(JOSHUA 24:1–3A, 13)

A. Public Assembly of Tribes (v. 1)

1. �en Joshua assembled all the



tribes of Israel at Shechem. He sum-

moned the elders, leaders, judges and

officials of Israel, and they presented

themselves before God.

Ae city of Shechem first appears in

the Bible in connection with Abraham. It

is the first place mentioned upon his

arrival in the land of Canaan, and he

built an altar there (Genesis 12:6, 7). Ironi-

cally (and sadly) Shechem is later the

location where the nation becomes

divided into two kingdoms (1 Kings

12:1–20). In Joshua’s time, however,

Shechem is a place where a unified

nation is assembled.

Ae various leaders are present as

well; the terms used indicate that the

spiritual, judicial, and military leaders

are in aFendance to present themselves

before God. Aus this is not a political or

legislative assembly; it is primarily spiri-

tual in nature. Joshua may be the person

calling the gathering and addressing it,

but the one truly in charge is the Lord.

What Do You Think?

What preparations can we make

before we present ourselves

before God in worship?

Digging Deeper

Which of those preparations, if any,

should be the practice of all Chris-

tians? Why?

B. God’s Blessings to Abraham (vv. 2,

3a)

2a. Joshua said to all the people,

“�is is what the LORD, the God of

Israel, says:

While the leaders are given special

emphasis in the previous verse (and in

Joshua 23:2), here it is noted that Joshua

addresses all the people. Moses had spo-

ken to “all Israel” east of the Jordan River

(Deuteronomy 1:1); now Joshua does so

west of the Jordan, with the conquest of

the promised land having been largely

accomplished. As Joshua prefaces his

words with +is is what the Lord, the God of

Israel, says, the focus will be on the Lord’s

words and deeds, not those of any person.

2b. “ ‘Long ago your ancestors,

including Terah the father of Abra-

ham and Nahor, lived beyond the

Euphrates River and worshiped other

gods.

Joshua begins by recounting the his-

tory of the nation up to this point. It has

now been several hundred years since

the time long ago of the ancestors men-

tioned here. +e Euphrates River formed a

natural boundary between “Ur of the

Chaldeans” (Genesis 11:28), which was

Abraham’s original home, and the land of

Canaan, the place to which God guided

him. Israel’s problematic heritage is to

have had ancestors who worshiped other

gods. How Abraham came to embrace



faith in one God, the true God, is not clear

from Scripture. Yet the man who became

the father of the Israelite nation severed

ties with his upbringing by choosing to

exercise faith in God and follow his lead-

ing (compare Joshua 24:23, below).

What Do You Think?

What are some ways our church can

reflect on its roots in times of

growth and change?

Digging Deeper

Why is it important to do so, consider-

ing Genesis 1:1–31; Psalm 78; 106;

Acts 7:2–53; and 1 Corinthians

15:1–8?

3a. “ ‘But I took your father Abra-

ham from the land beyond the

Euphrates and led him throughout

Canaan and gave him many descen-

dants.’ ”

Joshua now alludes to the Lord’s call

of forefather Abraham, which is recorded

in Genesis 12:1–3. God’s covenant with

Abraham took him from his life in the

area of modern-day Iraq (the land beyond

the Euphrates River) and led him through-

out Canaan; this journey is summarized

in Genesis 12:4–9 (compare Acts 7:4, 5;

Hebrews 11:8). 5e two most important

elements of God’s covenant are high-

lighted in the verse before us: the land

God promised and Abraham’s descendants,

which God promised to multiply (com-

pare Acts 3:25).

In Joshua 24:3b–12, not included in

today’s text, Joshua continues his review

of the history of God’s people. His pri-

mary focus is God’s deliverance of the

people by means of the exodus and his

protection of them from those such as

Balak, king of Moab, who hired Balaam

to curse the people. 5is allowed the

nation to enter the land of Canaan, where

God provided victory in ba:le over the

peoples residing in the promised land so

that his people could dwell there.

C. God’s Blessings to Israel (v. 13)

13. “ ‘So I gave you a land on which

you did not toil and cities you did not

build; and you live in them and eat

from vineyards and olive groves that

you did not plant.’ ”

A frequently repeated theme when-

ever the land is discussed is the fact that

God gave it to the people (Exodus 6:4, 8;

12:25; 13:5; 20:12; 32:13; Leviticus 23:10;

25:2; Numbers 13:2; 15:2; Deuteronomy 1:8,

25; 8:10; 11:31). A related point is the fact

that the people have done nothing to

produce the wealth or abundance found

within this land. Others have done the

hard work to build the cities and plant the

crops; the Israelites have been granted

the privilege of enjoying these blessings.

Moses had spoken similar words to the

Israelites in his message recorded in



Deuteronomy 6:10, 11.

What Do You Think?

How will life be different as we

become more grateful for the

Lord’s material provisions?

Digging Deeper

What Scriptures help you most to

recall your dependence on God

and his provisions?

II. Living in the Present

(JOSHUA 24:14, 15, 21–24)

A. Joshua’s Challenge (vv. 14, 15)

14. “Now fear the LORD and serve

him with all faithfulness. 9row away

the gods your ancestors worshiped

beyond the Euphrates River and in

Egypt, and serve the LORD.

5e Israelites should not think that

the blessings of the promised land are

unconditionally guaranteed, with no obli-

gation on their part. God has given them

the land, but to continue residence there

the people must follow the terms set

down by the giver.

Moses had also urged the people to

“fear the Lord your God, serve him

only” (Deuteronomy 6:13) and had

warned the people not to forget the Lord’s

goodness and not to pursue other gods

(6:10–15). Now Joshua echoes this same

appeal. 5e Lord is to be their only God,

not only in what they profess but in how

they behave.

To achieve such a challenge requires

that the people throw away whatever gods

they may yet have among them. No mat-

ter whether these gods are from their

ancestors in the more distant past

(beyond the Euphrates River; see commen-

tary on Joshua 24:2b, above) or from their

more recent experience in Egypt, alle-

giance to the one true God is top priority.

It may be difficult to grasp how some

Israelites can still be holding on to false

gods aEer all that the Lord had done for

them. 5e previous generation of

Israelites, however, had been guilty of

idolatry as well, building a golden calf at

the foot of Mount Sinai. 5is happened

not long aEer being delivered from their

bondage in Egypt and protected at the

Red Sea (Exodus 32:1–6). As someone has

observed, it was one thing to get Israel

out of Egypt but quite another to get

Egypt out of Israel.

What Do You Think?

How can we identify and eliminate

the “gods” that distract us from

serving the Lord fully?

Digging Deeper

In your experience, how can you tell

when someone has not fully given

up his or her idols?

15. “But if serving the LORD seems



undesirable to you, then choose for

yourselves this day whom you will

serve, whether the gods your ances-

tors served beyond the Euphrates, or

the gods of the Amorites, in whose

land you are living. But as for me and

my household, we will serve the LORD.”

5e Hebrew word rendered undesir-

able is translated “evil” in other contexts

in a moral sense, as in good versus evil

(compare Genesis 3:5). 5at is probably

not the sense here. Rather, Joshua’s chal-

lenge is along these lines: if you Israelites

find serving the Lord to be unpleasant,

then consider whom you will end up serv-

ing instead.

Joshua’s proposal reflects a principle

that remains true: we must serve some-

one or something. 5e Israelites before

Joshua must choose whether they will

serve the false gods of their ancestors or

the gods of the peoples in the land of

Canaan where they now reside. 5e

Amorites are one of several peoples who

have lived in Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:1;

Joshua 24:11). But in some places the word

is used to designate the peoples of the

land in general (examples: Genesis 15:16;

Amos 2:9, 10).

5e history Joshua has recounted

should be reason enough for choosing to

serve the Lord. One must keep in mind

that this history is not something that

Joshua is relating as a body of facts that

have no personal meaning to him. 5is

history includes much that Joshua him-

self has experienced. He witnessed the

events surrounding the exodus from

Egypt and the rescue at the Red Sea. He

saw firsthand the tragic results of idola-

try when he descended from Mount Sinai

with Moses (Exodus 32:17–20). Joshua

himself knows for certain that the Lord is

the one true God.

And yet he cannot choose for those

who are assembled before him. Each

person must choose for himself or her-

self whom to serve. But Joshua, as the

nation’s leader, as the one who has

directed their conquest of the promised

land, will make absolutely clear where he

stands: as for me and my household, we will

serve the Lord.

We should note that Joshua’s chal-

lenge offers the people essentially only

two choices: either the Lord or other

gods. Moses had spoken in similar terms

to the Israelites, se:ing before them a

choice between “life and death, blessings

and curses” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Jesus

also described two ways, a broad way and

a narrow way, and of building wisely or

foolishly (Ma:hew 7:13, 14, 24–27).

In Joshua 24:16–20, not in our lesson

text, the people respond with a passion-

ate desire to follow Joshua’s lead and to

serve the Lord above any other gods.

Joshua then warns them not to take their



promise lightly. 5eir commitment to the

Lord must involve more than just voicing

good intentions or pious-sounding

words; it must be supported by actions.

IDOLS OF THE HEART

Coming back from a budding career

on the mission field for medical reasons

uncovered idols in my heart.

I had go:en used to the accolades.

“Wow, you lived in a mud hut in Africa?”

“You saw giraffes and zebras and ele-

phants on the way to work?” “You could

hear bombs across the border from the

refugee camp?” We could mesmerize our

friends back home with our exploits:

tales of exotic cultures and music and

food, hilarious language blunders, and

austere living conditions.

One of my most cherished idols was

the image of myself being a spiritual

hero on the front lines of the cosmic bat-

tleground. “We could never do that,”

whispered many voices back home. My

life held eternal significance, a cut above

the rest.

Our infant daughter’s traumatic brain

injuries from birth and extensive ongo-

ing medical care brought us home from

the field and uncovered my idols. No one

applauds when we administer her

medicine or give her a bath. No one drops

their jaw when I tell them about my cur-

rent ministry role.

Whom will I serve? Will I try to seek

out and bow down to my old idol of

pride? Or will I choose this day to serve

God, who brought me through dangers

and deserts? Will I content myself in him

alone? Today will I serve myself or will I

serve him, wherever he may lead me?

5at’s the choice I must make. What

about you?

—D. G.

What Do You Think?

Be still for a moment. What choice or

decision is the Lord setting before

you today?

Digging Deeper

How do Matthew 7:13, 14, 24–27;

Romans 6:16–19; and 1 John

1:5–10 convict you of a choice you

must make?

B. Israel’s Choice (v. 21)

21. But the people said to Joshua,

“No! We will serve the LORD.”

Again the people declare their loyalty

to the Lord. 5e scene is reminiscent of

what transpired at Mount Sinai when the

Lord established his covenant with the

Israelites there and the people said, “We

will do everything the Lord has said; we

will obey” (Exodus 24:7).

C. Choice Reaffirmed (vv. 22–24)



22. �en Joshua said, “You are wit-

nesses against yourselves that you

have chosen to serve the LORD.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,” they

replied.

In a solemn proceeding such as this,

where the people have “presented them-

selves before God” (Joshua 24:1) and

pledged their loyalty to him alone, there

is a need for witnesses. In this case Joshua

calls upon the people themselves to serve

as witnesses against themselves. %ey

have chosen to follow Joshua’s example

and serve the Lord; but if they turn away

from him and worship other gods, they

will bring upon themselves the punish-

ment that Joshua has said must follow

(24:20). %e people agree to Joshua’s

terms: We are witnesses.

23. “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw

away the foreign gods that are among

you and yield your hearts to the LORD,

the God of Israel.”

Joshua urges the people before him to

make a break with the gods that remain

in their midst. In so doing, he repeats the

command he issued earlier (Joshua 24:14).

But as important as that action is, gen-

uine commitment to the Lord (the kind

that must accompany the pledge that the

people have just made) has to include the

hearts of the people. %ey must throw

away other gods internally as well as

externally. %e word translated yield is

used elsewhere in Scripture in the sense

of paying a/ention to sound instruction

(Proverbs 22:17) or failing to do so

(Jeremiah 25:4).

PICKING AND CHOOSING

“We go to the foreign doctors to cure

our malaria,” the ladies told us. “We go to

the witch doctors if we have hepatitis or

other problems.”

Having close access to modern health

care was new to these North African

refugees. %ey had walked for days as

they fled the war in their homeland. In

the refugee camp, multiple aid organiza-

tions were operating medical clinics for

the refugees. %ey could let the foreign-

ers diagnose them and give them

medicine for any of their health issues, or

they could pay their traditional healers

who practiced witchcra9. Several witch

doctors had also fled their homeland and

continued to offer their services to their

fellow refugees.

With options available, the ladies

quickly tabulated the perceived success

rate of each faction in treating various

ailments. Before long they had decided

under what circumstances they would go

to the witch doctors or to the foreign

doctors.

%e Israelites under Joshua may have

been tempted to employ similar syncretic

tactics. “%e God of Abraham is good at



wars, but Baal is good at crops,” they

might decide. %ey could pick and choose

which “god” to follow when. But Joshua

would have none of it. In reminding

them of God’s incomparable greatness,

Joshua forced them to choose. Would they

serve God with all their hearts—or not?

Have you been doing any picking and

choosing recently? Do you trust God with

your spiritual needs but break his com-

mands in your efforts to meet your physi-

cal or emotional needs? Will you choose

to follow him with all your heart and

trust him to provide everything you need?

—D. G.

24. And the people said to Joshua,

“We will serve the LORD our God and

obey him.”

%is is the third time the people have

expressed a desire to serve the Lord (see

Joshua 24:18, 21). Anyone who knows the

history of Israel that follows in the book

of Judges may well think, “If only the

people had followed through on their

words and promises.” As promising as

the conclusion to the book of Joshua is,

the conclusion to the book of Judges is

disheartening. Its final verse is one of the

saddest in the Bible: “In those days Israel

had no king; everyone did as they saw

fit” (Judges 21:25).

It is easy in the midst of a throng of

like-minded believers (such as the gather-

ing in Joshua 24) to voice allegiance to the

Lord; it is quite another to translate that

pledge into everyday actions and choices

that are consistent with that allegiance.

%at remains true today.

Conclusion

A. Joshua and Jesus

It is noteworthy that the names

Joshua and Jesus come from the same

Hebrew verb, meaning “to save.” As

Joshua brought the Israelites into the

promised land of Canaan, Jesus, the “pi-

oneer of [our] salvation” (Hebrews 2:10),

leads us toward our promised land of

Heaven. And as one ponders Joshua’s

words in our text and the degree of

commitment to the Lord that he called

the Israelites to demonstrate, it is not dif-

ficult to recognize similarities to Jesus’

teaching about what is required to be his

disciple (Luke 14:25–33). One must “esti-

mate the cost,” as Jesus put it, and that is

what Joshua encouraged the Israelites to

do.



Visual for Lesson 2. Start a discussion by

pointing to this visual as you ask, “How do you

turn this verse into an action that witnesses to

others?”

For us as Christians to say that “We

will serve the Lord” means we will honor

Jesus as Lord and demonstrate that

commitment by serving him faithfully

every day. Like Joshua’s audience, we too

must reject the “gods” that threaten to

undermine that commitment. %ose gods

may not be statues or images of pagan

deities; they can be material objects

(money and possessions) or a degree of

devotion to a career, to sports, to educa-

tion, or something else that has claimed,

for all intents and purposes, the status of

a “god” in our lives.

In whom or what are we placing our

trust? Where is our heart inclined? %e

words of Joshua still issue a resounding

call to New Testament believers: “Choose

for yourselves this day whom you will

serve.”

B. Prayer

Father, in a world abounding with

“gods” that vie for our allegiance, help us

never to treat lightly the need to choose

daily whom we will serve. In the name of

Jesus we pray. Amen.

C. �ought to Remember

“Choose … this day”

applies to every day.



INVOLVEMENT LEARNING

Enhance your lesson with NIV Bible

Student

Into the Lesson

Say, “Let’s see how many names of

servants, maids, butlers, governesses,

and household staff we can remember

from popular movies, TV shows, and

books. It also counts if you know the

names of the actors or actresses who

played servants.” (Possible responses

among many: Downton Abbey—Mrs.

Hughes, Mr. Carson, Anna, Mr. Bates; �e

Sound of Music—Maria; Driving Miss

Daisy—Hoke Colburn; and �e King and

I—Anna.)

Invite learners to share what charac-

ter qualities they most appreciate about

those who serve others. Use this discus-

sion to elaborate on tough choices that

servants must sometimes make. Con-

clude the introductory time by saying,

“Servants must o9en choose what they

personally would like to do versus follow-

ing the directives of those in authority.

We face similar choices with God.”

Into the Word

Read Joshua 24:1–3, 13–15, 21–24 aloud.

Explain: “In Joshua’s final address to the

leaders and citizens of Israel, he called

for the people to banish any ties to others

gods and choose to serve only the Lord.”

Form learners into study pairs; give

each pair a handout (you prepare)

printed with the lesson text. Let the two

students in each pair decide which of

them will go first for a word-find activity.

At your “ready, set, go,” the first partici-

pants have 20 seconds to circle how many

times Lord is listed in the Joshua pas-

sages. A9er you call “Switch!” the other

member of each pair must take the hand-

out and has 20 seconds to circle all the

references to serve(d).

Have the pairs add up their total of

circled words and see how many found

all the Lord and serve(d) words. (Expected

responses: 9 occurrences of Lord [vv. 2, 14

(twice), 15 (twice), 21, 22, 23, 24]; 9 occur-

rences of serve(d) [vv. 14 (two times), 15

(four times), 21, 22, 24].)

Option. Distribute copies of the “Serve

the Lord” word-search activity from the

reproducible page, which you can down-

load. Have the class work together to

solve the search by calling out each word

they spot and revealing its position.

A9er the first or both activities,

explain an essential point of the Bible:

“Sometimes when we are in a group, it’s

easy to join in a collective ‘yes’ to follow

God’s best; but what really ma/ers is the

individual choices we make to serve God

day-in and day-out.”



Into Life

Ask learners to identify subtle and

not-so-subtle “other gods” of today’s

world. Discuss how they entice us away

from loving and serving the true God.

Talk about how we can practically “throw

away” cultural gods and idols without

appearing judgmental or standoffish to

the people around us who don’t follow

Jesus.

Next, hand everyone a blank sheet of

paper and a pen or marker. Direct each

learner to draw a large heart in the cen-

ter of the paper. Ask everyone to write

down things that can incline hearts to

serve self-centered purposes instead of

God’s. Discuss and name Scriptures that

can help overcome areas of self-serving

distraction.

Alternative. Distribute copies of the

“Signs of Your Faith?” activity from the

reproducible page for learners to com-

plete in small groups. Allow about five

minutes.

Close with this prayer: “Lord, forgive

us for falling short at times in loving and

serving you. Help us to stand firm in faith

and put away anything that keeps us

from choosing you first. In this quiet

moment, we come to you with our own

other gods and distractions that keep us

from loving and serving you. [Pause to

allow learners time to name silently their

distractions.] 2ank you for helping us

start fresh because of Jesus. In his all-

powerful name we pray. Amen.”

To print the reproducible activity page,

simply click the highlighted text below

to create a pdf file on your hard drive.

2en open the pdf file in Acrobat

Reader and print.

Activity Page (December 9—Love and

Serve God)


lesson 2 ( niv ) ord l g seems undesirable to you, then ... · 09.12.2018 · the god of...

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